First commercial space travel to launch in early 2018

Published on : Friday, November 18, 2016

Now one can buy a trip by spending $250,000, which was till now only available via NASA and the Russian and Chinese space agencies. Although this yet to take shape, but with the assistance of Virgin Galactic, you could very well rocket your way to space just a few miles down the road from a port in the New Mexico desert. Virgin Galactic Senior Program Director Mark Butler said that they wish to make New Mexico the home of commercial space travel.

Till now, more than 700 people have already signed up for this exciting space trip, which will take less than two hours. However, a trip in space requires more than just paying the fees. Special training is required along with physical tests. Butler said that till now tourists from ages 18 to 80 have signed up for the trip and have performed well in their training. The company and the spaceport faced an impediment, when a test flight accident resulted in death of a Virgin Galactic pilot and destruction of its SpaceShip Two in October 2014.

However, a new SpaceShip Two has already been set up and is to be tested. Some tests have been done in Spaceport America. Butler has said that they will not embark on this travel unless they are fully assured of people’s safety. The first space tourism rides would probably come into effect from early 2018. He said that Virgin Galactic owner Sir Richard Branson would be taking a trip in the first flight. Butler has expressed his confidence in the technology that the company is using. He said that there are lots of people who are interested for the space trip and are waiting patiently for years. A full replica of the SpaceShip Two is already on display in the hangar.